In reaction to the NATO presence in Latvia, the circulation of negative information aimed at deteriorating trust in the allied forces deployed to Latvia is a regular occurrence, the Defense Ministry told LETA.

The Defense Ministry informs that this circulated information is usually manipulated by using partly factual but mostly false facts, with the aim of influencing public opinion.

The ministry emphasized that ”in the information war of today, the emphasis is not on facts, but on emotions. If they are successful in stirring emotions within society – fear or anger – an article, comment or visual material has achieved its objective, even if the facts are false”.

The Defense Ministry emphasizes that soldiers participating in NATO’s forward enhanced presence regularly participate in various public events and charitable activities, including visits to the Children’s University Hospital to greet children during Christmas and gift them presents.

The NATO battalion in Latvia, led by Canada, is currently made up of approximately 1,400 soldiers from Canada, Italy, Poland, Albania, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Montenegro and Slovakia, and is one of NATO’s strategies to enhance the NATO presence in the region and strengthen the region’s security.